


Be My Valentine?

by Daovihi



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Drunkenness, Flowers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Roses, Trans!Vernon Roche, Valentine's Day, agender!iorveth, ior is sad, not that it has any significance in the story, vr is super in love w ior but doesnt know it yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:57:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13677510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daovihi/pseuds/Daovihi
Summary: When Vernon Roche finds Iorveth one day, he has the chance to kill him. Instead, he gets hit by Cupid's arrow.





	Be My Valentine?

Vernon crouched in the bushes when he spotted him. Iorveth. The one he's been pursuing for years, but always escaped his grasp. And now… now he was just sitting there, back turned to him. Vernon smirked, reaching for his crossbow. This was going to be too easy.

A sniffle erupted through the air, and Iorveth bent forward. Was he… crying? No, it had to be his imagination. Vernon carefully drew a crossbow bolt and slowly prepared to load his weapon. It was almost a shame to kill Iorveth now. Here, in the elven ruins, with his back turned to him, it seemed… underwhelming. Vernon hesitated. He had Iorveth right where he wanted him, but now? Now he found himself deliberately slowing his movements.

That's when he heard it. A definite sob. Iorveth threw his face into his hands and… cried. In all these years, Vernon had never once seen Iorveth cry. But now the proud warrior was reduced to a weeping mess.

Without even thinking, Vernon put his weapons away and stood up. He only realized what he was doing after he had stepped out of the rose bush. By that point, Iorveth had already spotted him.

"Dhoine…" Iorveth mumbled, staring straight at his feet.

"Iorveth." Vernon cleared his throat. "Uh, how, how are you?"

Iorveth clumsily flipped him off.

"Well, uh, you mind if I join you?" Vernon stood awkwardly, clasping his hands.

Iorveth broke down right then and there, not even bothering to repress his tears. "Fuck you! Fuck you and fuck everyone!" He slurred, swaying slightly in his seat.

"Are you drunk?"

"No I'm not!" Iorveth yelled with more slurred pronounciation.

"Iorveth…" Vernon groaned. He sighed and took a seat next to Iorveth. "Bad day?"

Iorveth leaned, or more accurately fell, on top of Vernon. He frowned as he realized his situation, then immediately accepted it. "Yeah."

It was Valentine's Day, Vernon realized. It's been so long since he did anything for it that he nearly forgot about it altogether. He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke up. "Is it because-?"

Iorveth grabbed Vernon and hugged him tight as he wailed. "She re-jec-ted me-e-e-e!"

"There there." Vernon pat Iorveth on the back.

"I- I even-" Iorveth fell into a hiccuping fit. "I tried to- hic- give her the- hic- the rose, but- hic!"

"Easy, Iorveth. Don't get too excited, now." Vernon rubbed the back of Iorveth's head as he said this, giving him a small amount of comfort.

"Fuck you…" Iorveth sniffled. "I hate you so much."

"I know." Vernon pulled Iorveth's face into the crook of his neck. "If it makes you feel any better, I hate you too."

"Well at LEAST the feeling's mutual!" Iorveth suddenly shouted, making Vernon wince. "Fuck you, fuck your- hic- soldiers, fuck dhoines, fuck everything! I- hic- hate it all!"

"Was she human?" Vernon asked out of curiosity.

"No, she-" Iorveth paused to blow his nose on Vernon's outer coat. "Half-elf. So, so sweet. Smelled nice. Was nice. Loved her…"

"I'm sorry." Vernon surprised even himself with those words. Where had his hard, bitter personality run off to?

"Fuck off…" Iorveth mumbled.

"…Alright, then. Let me just-"

"NO!" In an instant, Iorveth had a vice grip on Vernon. "Noooooooo! Don't!"

"Okay, okay, I'm not going anywhere, sheesh." With Vernon's words, the hold on him was relaxed until it became a comfortable hug. "Didn't strike me to be the lonely type."

"Shut up." Iorveth gritted out as he nuzzled into Vernon's collarbone.

"Hey, we've all been there before. I…" Vernon sighed. "I'm… I haven't had a relationship in years."

"…Really?"

"Yes." Vernon slightly nodded, accidentally poking Iorveth with his chin. "Well, unless you count the numerous dates that went nowhere. I have bad luck with that, it seems."

"At least you get a date." Iorveth huffed and pouted.

"True… but I'd like it if it actually went somewhere." Vernon took off his chaperon, revealing platinum blonde hair. "Do you mind if we lay down?"

"Nah." Iorveth grumbled, refusing to look up. He let himself be laid by Vernon's side, where he wriggled around until he found a comfortable position.

"So, uh," Vernon's hand unconsciously stroked Iorveth's forearm. "Did you have any backup plans for Valentine's Day?"

"Not really." Iorveth mumbled. "I thought she…" Iorveth started crying once again. This time, his tears came sluggishly.

"Iorveth, look at me." Vernon took Iorveth's chin in one hand and firced him to turn his head towards him. "It's better that she rejected you. If she had reciprocated you, despite her actual feelings, then she would have been miserable, and you in turn would have been miserable. Believe me, it's better to not be with someone at all than to be led on."

"But I wish she felt the same way…"

"We all do. But we cannot and should not try to force someone to feel a certain way towards us. The best we can do is to lick our wounds and move on." As he explained this, Vernon cradled Iorveth's cheek and circled his cheekbone with his thumb. "But, anyway, enough of that. How do you feel?"

"A lil better." Iorveth closed his eye and took a few deep breaths. "I do like this place."

"Why is it such a big deal, anyway?" Vernon inquired. "I've heard so much about it, but…"

"The roses!" Iorveth giggled.

"Fair enough." Vernon gave Iorveth a slight smile. "Want one?"

"Fuck yes!" Iorveth whooped, flailing his arms wildly in the air.

Vernon scooted away from Iorveth, finding that everything seemed to be colder when he stopped touching him. He thought nothing of it and walked up to one of the bushes. A few seconds later, he had a freshly-cut purple rose in his hand.

"For you." Vernon grinned as he gave the rose to Iorveth.

Iorveth squealed as he accepted the rose. He clasped it and gave it a quick sniff, smiling as he did so. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Think nothing of it."

"Noooooo…" Iorveth was positively beaming. "I like it!"

"I'm glad you do." Vernon answered with such sincerity it almost bled out into his entire being. "To be honest, I don't give roses very often. You're the first I've given one to in a long time."

Iorveth only squealed in an even higher pitch than before. He yanked Vernon down for a hug and then gave him a quick kiss to the cheek. "That for you!"

"O-oh…" Vernon totally didn't blush. He also didn't get a light, feathery feeling in his heart. "Thank you. You, uh, you didn't have to.."

"Don't care!" Iorveth kissed Vernon on the nose to prove his point.

Vernon giggled. "Alright, I think I better get back to camp. Ves is going to have my head if I'm out for too long."

"Isn't she… lower?"

"Lower rank, and yes. But, well, she's Ves." Vernon shrugged.

"She can't tell you what to do!" Iorveth poked Vernon in the chest. "Besides, I want you to staaaaay…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Vernon gave Iorveth a hug. "The Scoia'Tael must be looking for you by now. If they see me, they will kill me on sight."

"Will I see you again?" Iorveth's tone became quiet.

"Almost certainly. Remember, we're supposed to be killing each other. Farewell." Vernon adjusted Iorveth into a comfortable sleeping position, then stood up and began to walk away. Just before he stepped out of sight, he glanced behind him to see that Iorveth was watching him leave. Vernon waved goodbye, and without looking long enough to see if Iorveth waved back, disappeared into the forest.

\-----

Several weeks later, when Iorveth had forgotten his encounter with Vernon, he sat contemplating a rose. More specifically, a Rose of Rememberance that had appeared on his person after a night of heavy drinking. One day, Iorveth noticed that it looked fresh as the day he found it, despite his neglect. And that was how he found himself staring at the rose and wondering who could have given it to him.

"Maybe…? No, he doesn't swing that way. It can't be Deirdre, she's in a monogamous relationship. Could it be…? Nah." Iorveth groaned and put down the flower. "Who the fuck is it?"

Iorveth picked up the rose once again, gently brushing his fingertip against the petals. A surge of feelings burst through him, scattering his thoughts and leaving him with no choice but to blush and curl in on himself. He stayed like that for what seemed like hours before a courier announced their prescence.

"Iorveth, I have a message from Vernon Roche." They stated plainly as they held a letter to him.

"Roche?"

"Yes."

Iorveth yanked the letter out of their hand. "You can go now."

With a nod, the courier left, leaving Iorveth alone. Iorveth carefully placed the rose in his lap and tore open the envelope.


End file.
